I like levels with a lot of height to them. Vast changes in elevation are appealing to the eyes and make for more interesting battles. Unfortunately, I only own two Master Sets (one Rise of the Valkyrie and one Swarm of the Marro) so building tall maps proved difficult.

I did have one tool in my arsenal to use in my battle for scale – the Fortress of the Archkyrie expansion set. I started working on designs that used the castle pieces, not as fortresses or strongholds, but as supporting columns. This way I could achieve the height I wanted without sacrificing my precious terrain tiles.

My first map to use this concept was the Long Bridge Battlefield. This one remains one of my favorite maps mainly because of the scale and playability on various levels. I wasn’t sure if the bottom part of the board would see any play at all, but with the strategic placement of...